Before canning, refrigeration, or freezing existed, frontier settlers often smoked meat in order to preserve it. Frontier smokehouses were built from logs, and had to be tight enough to hold in smoke and keep out insects and animals. Spaces between the logs were "chinked" - filled with mud - and a trench was dug into the ground around the structure. The dirt floor inside not only provided a safe area for a fire but also helped maintain the proper humidity.
The logs for this smokehouse came from a corncrib built in the 1840s. The benches that line the wall are made of 2" thick lumber, and the bricks for the foundations are handmade.
The fire for smoking was built inside the smokehouse in a large cast iron pot, or even directly on the dirt floor, using chips of green hickory or oak or hickory bark. The green wood burned very slowly, creating heavy smoke that was trapped inside the smokehouse and slowly penetrated the meat, preserving it. The fire was kept smoldering for several days or even weeks until the meat was coated with a brown crust, which not only gave the meat a distinctive flavor, but also sealed out insects and air.
John Jay French Museum Tour
Smoke House
Before canning, refrigeration, or freezing existed, frontier settlers often smoked meat in order to preserve it. Frontier smokehouses were built from logs, and had to be tight enough to hold in smoke and keep out insects and animals. Spaces between the logs were "chinked" - filled with mud - and a trench was dug into the ground around the structure. The dirt floor inside not only provided a safe area for a fire but also helped maintain the proper humidity.
The logs for this smokehouse came from a corncrib built in the 1840s. The benches that line the wall are made of 2" thick lumber, and the bricks for the foundations are handmade.
The fire for smoking was built inside the smokehouse in a large cast iron pot, or even directly on the dirt floor, using chips of green hickory or oak or hickory bark. The green wood burned very slowly, creating heavy smoke that was trapped inside the smokehouse and slowly penetrated the meat, preserving it. The fire was kept smoldering for several days or even weeks until the meat was coated with a brown crust, which not only gave the meat a distinctive flavor, but also sealed out insects and air.
Smoke House Door
Home Feature
Exterior of Smokehouse, built with logs, cedar shake shingles, and handmade bricks.
Smokehouses were made animal- and insect-proof by chinking the logs and digging a trench six inches into the ground. Benches were placed inside to hold meat for curing, which was done with salt. Smokehouses were also used to store meat, which was hung in cloth sacks and tied to the rafters of smokehouses. Meat would be smoked in the springtime with a wood chip fire.
Smoke House Panels
Info Panel
Rowdee Raccoon Asks:
Is smoking still used as a way to preserve meat? What can you eat today that is smoked? Why does green wood burn so slowly? Home canning didn't become available until the 1860s. What foods can be preserved with canning that can't be smoked or cured?
Smoke House
